Closed on Monday.

Nara Travel Blog

Dang, the forecast was correct. Woke up to leaden skies and rain, rain, rain.

In no rush to get wet, we killed time in the room until hunger and dearth of groceries sent us out in a search for sustenance. I did a quick search online and found two vegetarian-friendly options here in Osaka... off we went to find the first one, Maman Terrace. It was hard to find, the route we took was mainly uncovered, and we were soaked by the time we got there. It was closed.

Finally we ducked into a mixed-bag type of Japanese restaurant that served just about everything.

Damp Nara.

The waitress was very timid with her English, but together we found the one vegetarian option on the menu (I was confused though...just because the omelet is listed with bacon in it doesn't mean they have to make it that way, does it? Can't they just leave it out? Apparently not.).

I had a cheese pizza and green salad (excellent!) and Steve had something that combined spaghetti noodles with battered, fried squid and a thick brown sauce (not excellent, but he finished it). It was brought out on a super-hot iron platter fitted with a cardboard collar to guard against the sizzling sauce. Our lunch was cheap: about $15 including coffee and tea. One of us left very happy.

From there, Steve wanted to visit the electronics stores in Den Den town. I wanted to go back to Nara and check out the actual town.

Don't know, don't want to know.

So we split up to do our own thing. First I stopped in the room to get the umbrella. (We found it abandoned on the street our second day here. It has one little hole.) Fearing water damage, I decided to leave my main camera behind, carrying only my little portable Canon Elph. This lightened my load considerably.

I then headed to the station, bought my ticket, and got on the right train, all without getting lost. Good first step! In Nara, I went to the tourist office again, to get a better map of the town. They didn't have one, and I was told that the shops are all...closed on Monday! Well. Dang.

I headed off to the covered street near the station and found several stores open. I think they mostly catered to tourists, selling candies shaped like deer poop and the like.

Nara street scene.

I stopped into a store that was like a combination K-Mart/Office Depot and browsed around for a long time. I bought some fun little gifts and candies, all very cheap. From there I walked and walked (in straight lines from the station so as not to get lost!), getting my feet drenched, and finding that most of the stores were indeed closed. Hey, at least there were no crowds to contend with!

I went back into the park and saw a few miserable, drenched deer. There were a couple other determined tourists, ditching the umbrellas for quick photos in front of the pagodas. I went to the pond but even the turtles were closed on Monday.

By then my feet were making squishing sounds and it was time to go back. The train was pretty empty and I got a seat right away. The lady next to me kept falling asleep, her head nearly hitting her lap before snapping up again.

This is the place that served me moss and noodles yesterday.

A schoolgirl, 14 or 15 years old, kept sniffling. She finally wiped her nose with her hand and then cleaned off her hand on the seat next to her. This method worked out pretty well for her, and she did it repeatedly until a guy sat on her snot receptacle. (I understand it's considered rude to blow your nose in Japan.)

Steve and I met up back at the room in the late afternoon. There was nothing for him at Den Den town, but he was able to stock up on Nicorette at a pharmacy. We went back to our grocery store and probably bought too much stuff for our 3 remaining days. Fruit, vegetables, and real Kellogg's corn flakes this time.

Back to the room to make dinner and to check the forecast. It's supposed to rain...but at least the shops will be open, right? Our plan for tomorrow is to head to Kobe for a sake brewery and museums. Oh, and I here there's some special beef there. Do you think they have a vegetarian version :^)